- Submitted by Dahlia
(Vegetable Brinji, Vegetable Pulao, Vegetable Biriyani)
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It was Friday evening, my hubby and my kids were excited and looking forward for the weekend. The week had been hectic for my kids due to constant studying for test and they were extremely eager for the weekend. Though it is relaxing for kids and hubby, it’s quite taxing for me and sometimes I dread the weekends. Taking kids for different hobby classes at different timings, washing, cleaning and in between cooking, gets me fully exhausted towards the evening. My Saturday lunch, most of the times is a one pot meal with a raita or vadaams and salads. This Saturday I had planned to vegetable biryani.
Vegetable biryani or vegetable brinji is a classic main course dish that is perfect for any occasion. It’s colorful, aromatic, and healthy and can be quickly made in less than 30 minutes. While I was chopping the veggies required, my son asked me, “Amma, what’s for lunch tomorrow “? I replied its biryani to which he quickly asked me the meaning of biryani. It stimulated my interest and immediately to my “Google almighty” and sought more information on biryani.
Biryani, an origin from the mughlai cuisine, is rice cooked in gravy of vegetables and aromatic spices. Long grained basmati when cooked in gravy of Indian spices, vegetables, ginger, garlic and coconut milk gives us a rich, fragrant, delicious, colorful and mouth watering vegetable biryani.
So, friends!! Please check the recipe below, go ahead and cook this biryani and your family will only keep asking you for more. Cheers!!!
Recipe for Vegetable Biryani
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- Basmati Rice - 2 cups
- Onion - 1 medium (chopped)
- Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
- Green Chilies - 3-4
- Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup (can use vegetables like potatoes, green beans, carrot, cauliflower, green peas, baby corn etc)
- Mint leaves - handful
- Cilantro - handful
- Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp
- Fennel Powder - 1 tsp
- Pepper Powder - 1 tsp (add only if you like the biryani extra spicy)
- Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
- Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
- Bay Leaf - 1
- Salt - as needed
- Oil/ Ghee - 2-4 tbsp
- Coconut milk diluted with water - 3 cups (You can also use only water)
Method
- Heat the oil/ghee in a pan and add the bay leaf. Saute the onions till it turns golden brown.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and green chilies and fry till the raw smell vanishes.
- Next fry the finely chopped mint and cilantro leaves.
- Add the garam masala powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder and pepper powder. (Tips: Sometimes when I do not have all the powders readily available, I make a paste of fennel seeds, whole garam masala, peppercorns and green chilies along with the ginger and garlic. After sauteing the onions, fry this paste till oil separates from the masala.)
- Add all the vegetables and fry for a minute. Next add the rice and fry for a minute.
- Transfer everything to a rice cooker. Add the coconut milk - water mixture, lemon juice and required salt.
- Cook till the rice is done. Garnish with some more cilantro and/or roasted cashews.
- Vegetable Biryani is ready to server.
Garnishing Tips
- Cut onions into very thin slices. Keep some cashews ready. Take a pan, pour some ghee, add cashews and then the onion slices. Fry until it becomes golden brown. Pour and spread evenly on the dish.
Serving Suggestion
Tips
- You can make the biryani with one vegetable alone like beans biryani, potato biryani, baby corn biryani, carrot biryani, cauliflower biryani, chikpea biryani, peas biryani, paneer biryani, okra biryani etc. This veggie biryani can be made on any day for lunch box depending on the vegetable you have on hand.
- To add okras to the biryani, fry the okras (ladies finger) separately and mix it with the cooked biryani.
More Biryani Recipes